Experts in the field of sports medicine have identified the increasing problem of exercise related injuries. G. O. Matheson, MD, Ph.D., and editor of The Physician and Sports Medicine, wrote “Almost two decades ago, great attention was paid to physical fitness, technique, and equipment design as protective against injury. Hopes were high that these measures would reduce injuries. Yet according to recent statistics, the incidence of injuries is at an all time high.” As an example, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 2001, reported a continuing and escalating increase in sports/exercise participation due to the baby boomer demographics. Not surprisingly, there has been a coincident increase in sports/exercise related injuries. This same report documents sports and exercise injuries in the age group 35 to 54 increasing about thirty-three percent between 1991 and 1998. Furthermore, recently released Frost and Sullivan Fitness Industry Statistics show the phenomenal growth of people over 55 in fitness almost suggesting an emerging branch of “geriatric sports medicine.”
Existing fitness programs' lack of sustainability is also an increasing problem in the fitness industry. Less than five percent of the United States population consistently maintains strength and fitness throughout their adult life. A multitude of fitness programs and centers have been developed and literally countless fitness products have been promoted over the past 30 years, but many of these programs have largely been unsatisfactory. Fitness Management Magazine, 2005 published Frost & Sullivan data stating that the average home exercise equipment is used for only one year, and the average fitness center membership lasts only two years. These disappointing statistics support the argument that the fitness industry needs a new solution with safety, longevity and sustainability as its primary goal.
Moreover, almost without exception the fitness industry has underestimated the importance of allowing time for tissue recovery. As a result, the potential benefits of exercise participation are often reduced and the chances of injury are increased. Furthermore, today's fitness industry does not even generate or collect the type of data needed to calculate proper recovery periods, let alone have the equipment or business method and system to support it. The condition of the fitness industry is such that accurate data and repeatable data are not available. Industry sources report that fitness equipment, in general, is not accurate within fifty percent. Some manufactures are even clearer, e.g., “makes no representations or warranties of any kind, with respect to merchantability of fitness or suitability for any general or particular purpose, or of the results anticipated or experienced in the use of such equipment, specifically including but not limited to the accuracy or inaccuracy of any data provided by the equipment.”
The failure of existing fitness programs is clear and is evidenced by the fact that even the most dedicated fitness enthusiasts will often fail in their efforts to maintain fitness and strength. Common reasons for failure include schedule conflicts with personal and professional commitments, poorly contrived exercise routines producing disappointingly slow or limited progress, the inherent limitations of existing home exercise equipment, the often-overwhelming inconvenience or inadequacy of the local fitness facility, and perhaps the most serious, frequent and disabling injuries.
Given the above background, what is needed in the art are improved systems and methods for implementing exercise programs.